Tales from the Hetalia Archieves
by Sam King
Summary: A collection of one shots based around all characters from the Hetalia universe. Will update l stories will be individual stories unless otherwise stated. First story: The Loneliness of the Stars, the tragic tale of Berwald and his lover a star named Tino. Second Story: Hope, the loss of hope a superhero feels when he can't save those that matter most.
1. Chapter 1

The Loneliness of the Stars

**I don't own Hetalia**

_**Do you know how a star feels when it cannot return to the sky?**_

Stars. Little pin pricks of light that pushed through the dark night sky. Glowing balls of gas millions of miles away. Stars. So much had been written about them, glorified about them, and yet no one knew how they felt. Wish upon a shooting star they would say, but didn't they know the sadness a star feels when it looks up to see all of its brethren up there winking back and yet they could never return. A constant reminder of what you once had.

Sparks flew off of the wheel stone as the blade was brought to it to be sharpened. The sound of the stone turning was a familiar sound to Berwald as were the sparks of light that came from the metal and stone creating friction and heat off of one another sharpening the blade. Such pretty lights, they reminded the blond man of stars in the sky. Such pretty things they were. He raised an arm to his forehead to wipe away the sweat that had built up there. He turned to look around the forge that he worked in, horse shoes hung off of the wall on nails, an unfinished breastplate hung on the cooling rack, the coals in the fire were just about to go out, and from the many opening in between the wooden slates that made the rickty building Berwald could see that it had become night already. When had it gotten that late? Berwald looked at the axe he was sharpening, the knight that it belonged to would be back tomorrow for it, the blade was sharp, much sharper than it had been when the knight left it with him to sharpen and repair.

With a small sigh Berwald wrapped the axe in some cloth to protect the metal and placed it in the wooden chest at the far end of the forge away from the actual forege where the embers were still dying. He would have to smother it with ash. He took the torch from the wall, its fire had been lit since the fire roared in the forge this morning when Berwald had been making today's coals, he needed to check on the collection of firewood that was in the lean in shed beside the forge, he checked it every night to make sure no one had stolen any, that it was still dry, and that there would be enough for tomorrow. He worked every day of the week except Sundays, Sunday was God's day, he would be in mass most of the morning and then would spend the rest of the afternoon whittling or doing household chores. Sometimes he took Saturday afternoons off to go hunting or to buy grain from the farmers if they had extra to sell.

The autumn night was chilly, Berwald thought to himself as he checked on the wood, it was all still there. He would have to move it inside before the frost set in, that would make the wood too wet to use. Berwald was better off than most, he was related distantly to the Jarl Mattias Liefson, it could be problematic at time, Berwald enjoyed living a simple life, but sometimes though he just had to deal with his kin, many of them looked down on him because of the simple life in the smithy. Going back inside Berwald placed the torch back on the stand before picking up a handful of ash he had swept onto the grate a few days ago to pour back on the dying coals. There wasn't much of a chance that the coals would produce flames again and burn the shack down, but Berwald didn't want to take chances. He watched as the once red sparks on the coals dimmed and were snuffed out completely. He would sweep out the ash tomorrow and place new logs in to create a new fire; he had to finish that breast plate. He took the torch again; he would need this tonight to make it back home in the dark. There were many things that roamed the world at night, especially when the nights got darker and longer like they did in the winter. He wrapped his thick blue cloak around him lined with a pelt of a rabbit, a gift from his mother before her passing. It kept him warm in the winter, making it easier to travel from his small house to the forge where he worked.

He stepped out onto the path, with a small frown, it was getting colder faster than normal, he would have to bring the wood into the forge tomorrow or the day after to avoid the frost. Winters in this land were cold and merciless, only the strong could survive. It made sense, knowing the history of his people, they had once been pirates, raiding other lands to the south, brutal warriors who killed old and child alike, very rarely taking prisoners and when they did they would send up here to the north where they were kept as slaves till death. Berwald's own great-grandfather was a well-known brutal jarl who went on many raids. They did that no longer now, having settled down and made do with what they had. He hurried along the path not wanting to be out in the dark and cold any longer then he had to, lingering and being unaware were not to one's advantage here.

He let out a sigh of relief as he arrived at his small house, one story, with two rooms, bigger than most people's homes, not as big as where he had grown up though. He had his thanks to being the favorite cousin of the jarl, Mattias adored Berwald, had taken him as his page when Berwald was a boy and told him he could have whatever he wanted when his training ended. Bewald had asked for solitude and quiet. People in his cousin's household had whispered about him when he left, how odd he was. But they had always whispered about him, how he kept to himself, wasn't nearly as loud or boisterous as his cousin, and was very rarely seen in the company of women. He had never let such talk get to him though; he was made of sterner stuff.

He pushed open the door hoping to find Tino ready with the meal for that night. He had fell a deer a few nights back and had bought some carrots from a farmer who frequented the small village Berwald worked in. "T'no." He said stepping in to find the main room empty, the fire pit wasn't even lit. "T'no?" He reached for the knife he kept on his person, good for slicing bread and for defense. The door had been fine, there couldn't be an intruder. Hestintly he made his way over to the other room, the room where Berwald kept the bed. "T'no?"

A small form lay in the bed not moving. Berwald could see the wisps of pale blond hair like Tino had sticking out from underneath the rough woolen blanket. "T'no?" He asked again fearing for the worst. A low moan was his greeting. "'re ya h'rt?" He lowered the knife, sheathing it again and walked over to bed to look at Tino.

"Berwald." A quiet voice said as he pulled back the blanket slightly, Tino was deathly pale, his lavender eyes lacking their usual life to them. "It's time." No, it couldn't be, it hadn't been long enough, they hadn't had long enough. It wasn't fair, they were happy, they had gotten everything they ever wanted and now… and now this. It just wasn't fair. "Berwald, you knew this day would happen." He had, he had always known since the day Tino explained what he was, he knew that in the end he would be alone. "I am fading, it started this afternoon. I had hoped you wouldn't be home so soon. I didn't want you to see this." Berwald ignored his last sentence, that he hadn't wanted the taller man to see him like this, would he rather of just had Berwald walk to find nothing? Would that have been easier than to see Tino like this?

"Wh't c'n I do?" He asked talking the shaking pale hand of his lover. Was there anything he could do to help Tino before he faded away?

"Tell me- tell me our story." Tino said struggling to get words out of his mouth. His body suddenly racked with coughing. If Tino was going to fade away, why did it have to be painfully, Berwald wondered sadly? Berwald nodded and opened his mouth to tell Tino about the time they first met.

~Two years prior~

It had been a warm summer's day that had turned into a warm summer's night that Berwald had found himself enjoying as he looked up into the heavens to look at the stars. In the summer the stars didn't stay out that late, the sun setting late and rising early, but still there were brief periods when one could gaze up and wonder. He had asked many people what they thought the stars were up in the night sky, some saw them as tools for navigation, while others said they were a light in the night, but no one really knew what stars were. It was a curiosity that had always been with Berwald ever since he was a little boy looking out at the night sky with his mother.

As he looked up that night he saw a star that was shooting across the sky as if falling to the earth. He wondered if he could catch it, if he could then he could find out what a star really was. He ran through the forest hoping the star wouldn't fall too far away so he could find it, he really wanted to see what it contained, was it fire or ice? Would it lead him to the direction of treasure, that seemed like something his cousin Mattias would like more than himself, knowing his cousin though, Mattias would probably drag him along. He smiled to himself as he jogged through the forest trying to imagine what the star would look like when he caught it. He was sure he'd seen it fall into this forest.

The star had made a very big impact when it fell; there was now a huge crater and several downed trees from where the star had hit the ground. Maybe it was dangerous and he shouldn't mess with it after all. But Berwald was curious, and this could be his one time to find out what exactly a star was. What the answer to the mystery was. He pushed past some of the downed trees, broken branches scratching his face and clothes as he tried to avoid them.

A boy lay in the middle of the crater, or Berwald assumed he was a boy. He was rather tiny and delicate looking, but had pale blond hair cropped like a boy would and there were no signs of breasts on his tiny chest. Were stars actually humans then? How did the humans get all the way up there and why was he now here on Earth? Was he one of the old gods then? But didn't they come down on the Rainbow Bridge; there wouldn't be any need for one of them to fall out of the sky. Maybe… maybe he was an angel. So many different ideas ran through Berwald's mind when he saw the boy that he didn't actually see the boy sit up. "Who are you?" his voice was melodious unlike anything Berwald had ever heard before. He had to be an angel.

"Ya beaut'ful." Berwald said he could now see the boy's pale purple eyes. They were a color he'd only seen when the sun rose, a color he had never imagined seeing as an eye color.

"Thank you," the boy said with a soft smile and a slight blush that crept on his face. It was cute. Berwald found his own face go red as he noticed the boy was naked except for a gossamer fabric that was wrapped around his body. He was most definitely a boy. Berwald removed his red cloak he had been wearing that night, it was too hot for it anyway, but it would keep the boy clothed for now.

"Here." He handed it to him fully expecting him to put it on like an sane human being but the boy only stared at him and the looked at the cloak in his hands and the back at Berwald.

"What am I to do with this?" the boy asked; he looked at the woolen material strangely. "It's itchy." Berwald sighed, what was with this boy? Did they not have cloaks up in the sky? What about when it got cold?

"Ya wear it l'ke th's." Berwald took the cloak from the boy's hands and wrapped it around his neck before clasping the broach together. "Ya can't show ya body off like th't. Ya'll be b'rned at th' st'ke." Berwald said fussing over the boy. "What's ya n'me?"

"I am not sure what exactly you call me, but among my friends I am called Tino." The boy beamed.

"Are ya a st'r?" Berwald asked, he was dying to know the answer to the question. Tino nodded slowly as he rubbed the cloak between his fingers.

"I was." His voice suddenly lost all the happiness to it, and Berwald felt as if there was nothing left to smile about. "But now I am not, now I shall die." Die? Alarm spread throughout Berwald, he did not want this beautiful boy to die, he wanted to see him smile forever.

"Wh't d' ya mean?" He asked, feeling as if there was something stuck in his throat.

"Stars and humans don't live in the same realm, but we can cross over through gates though it is forbidden. Stars can't live in the human world, just as human's can't live in the world I come from. I have been banished, so now I must die." Banished, what for? What could this precious boy have done in the relm of the stars?

"What d' ya do?" Tino shook his head and wrapped the cloak around himself a little tighter. Berwald decided it wasn't worth knowing, this boy was perfect and nothing would convince him otherwise. Stars were humans, they lived in another realm and they could die if they lived in the human ones. Berwald wondered how long the star would have. He didn't want him to die, but sometimes one could not stop these things from happening. "H'w long d' ya h've?"

"I don't know." Tino said, he shook slightly and then looked up at Berwald. "Are you injured?" He raised his hand up to touch the scratch Berwald had gotten from pushing back branches in the trees, there was a numbing sensation and then no pain. Berwald raised his hands to feel the scratch only to find nothing there, not even a scar.

~Present Time~

"I loved ya fr'm th' mom'nt I m't ya." Berwald said sadly. "Ya w're beaut'ful." Tino smiled weakly at Berwald's praise, reaching his hand up to cup Berwald's face. He seemed even paler now then he had before when Berwald started to recite their history. History they both knew, but Berwald didn't mind retelling anyway. It was a secret between the two of them, everyone else thought Berwald had found Tino in woods abandoned and alone, and Berwald had taken pity on him and took him in.

"I know." Tino said quietly, he began to cough again. "I didn't at first though."

"I kn'w." Berwald said kindly.

~ A year and a half ago~

Living with Tino wasn't easy; he hadn't at first wanted to wear clothes much to Berwald's dismay. There were many times Berwald wasn't sure why he had allowed the dying star to live with him; Tino didn't act like he was dying, if anything he acted crazy. He didn't understand anything about the human world, Berwald felt as if he was living with a toddler instead of an almost grown man. He'd had to take time away from the forge to teach Tino anything. The villagers whispered about Tino, about his weird behaviors and his lack of knowledge about common things. For the most part though Tino was a sweet young man who just had no knowledge of the world and it lead to some pretty awkward situations at the house. Like the time Berwald walked in to find that Tino had decided to randomly walk around in nothing but a loin cloth. He was as bad as the crazy Italian prince that a bard had once told a story about. Italians lived where it was always hot and therefore it was a cultural norm of theirs to wear nothing at all. Berwald couldn't imagine what that must look like. Berwald much preferred the cold then the heat.

Over time though Berwald had taught Tino how to make basic necessity, bread, stew, how to milk the cow that lived in the lean in barn Berwald built when he bought her. If Tino was going to live with him for however long an angel could live in the human realm then he was going to make himself useful. Tino thought this was a good idea as well as he got to learn more about humans and could help Berwald out as he was at the forge most of the day.

"T'no, 'm b'ck." Berwald had taken a day off from the forge, during the winter less plows and horse shoes were needed because of the lack of use during the time, he had gone out fishing in one of the streams. He was going to teach Tino how to salt a fish so it could be properly preserved during the winter. When he left Tino had told him he was the crazy one for going out when it was cold, but it wasn't that bad, there wasn't a blizzard out and though the ground was covered in snow there wasn't as much as there had been, it was a good day to go out ice fishing. He walked across the room wondering where the smaller man had gotten off to; Tino usually was there to welcome him home. A small frown formed on his face as he hung up the fish to dry and later salted, perhaps he'd gone out to collect nuts or something. He pushed open the door to the room where the bed was to find a pair of socks laying on his side of the bed.

They weren't his socks. He had two pair; one he was wearing right now and the other had a hole in them and couldn't be worn. These were too new to be his socks, but they were too big to be Tino's, so whose were they then? Berwald frowned as he tried to figure out the mystery of the socks that were now laid out across his bed. Tino would know, but he wasn't here at the moment. Berwald hated to admit it but he didn't like when he didn't know where Tino was, he was worried the boy would get into trouble, say the wrong thing to the wrong people and end up in trouble with the church. That could mean an even earlier death for the already dying star. He sat down on one of the benches he and Tino sat on to eat and pulled out the walking stick he was carving out. He was good at carving like he was good at work in the forge, Berwald liked to work with his hands, he was much better at that then any work as a scholar. He was almost done with the bear's face that he was carving into the side. He had met a man once, a man who lived across the sea to the east, he spoke a different language then Berwald did, but knew enough of the local language to talk. He spoke about how bears were important in his society, Berwald had liked to carve the since. Up near the top of the stick Berwald had carved in two flowers and he was thinking about maybe doing a tree underneath the bear.

The door opened to reveal Tino, his face pink from being out in the cold and in his hands he held a cloth full of nuts. So he'd gone scavenging then. So much for telling Berwald he was crazy for going out in the cold weather, Tino had gone out as well. "He-hello, Berwald." Tino said nervously. "I wasn't expecting you back so early." Berwald raised an eyebrow, what was the boy hiding? Tino quickly crossed the room to the small table they used to cook on. "Is that trout? You caught four." Berwald nodded.

"I w's pl'nning on sh'wing ya h'w t' salt 'em." Berwald said not getting up.

"Oh, okay." Tino said cheerfully. "I was going to surprise you by making the wild nut soup you showed me how to make a couple of weeks ago, but you're back so I guess it won't be a surprise."

"'nd the s'cks in th' on th' b'd?" Berwald asked.

"Those are for you as well." Tino flushed light pink, "I made them. One of the women showed me how they make socks and other clothing items. It's neat how they do it." They were nice. "Do you know how to make them?"

"N', it's c'nsid'red wom'ns w'rk." Berwald explained.

"We give gifts to express our affection for others and our gratitude." Tino explained as if he really hadn't heard what Berwald said. "I wanted to thank you for putting up with me. You have been very patient teaching me human culture, and though I do not understand always why you cover up so much you've never once been angry with me about my disrobing." That was because Berwald liked what he saw when Tino disrobed but he did not want the other to know that he did not always have innocent thoughts about the incidents.

"I d' n't m'nd." Berwald said quietly as he continued to carve into the walking stick.

~Present Time~

Berwald leaned down to press a kiss to Tino's forehead before moving away from the pale figure to climb into the other side of the bed, Tino was going to disappear, and Berwald wanted his final moments to be wrapped in his arms safe and secure. Tino laid back into him as Berwald wrapped his arms around Tino's waist. Don't leave me, he wanted to beg, don't leave me here alone, he wanted to scream. But it would do no good, it wasn't like Tino had planned this, it wasn't as if he hadn't always known Tino would leave him. He just hadn't thought it would be so soon. "I'm sorry." He heard Tino's quiet voice say as if he could read the taller man's thoughts.

"'t's n't ya'r fa'lt." Berwald mumbled into Tino's hair inhaling the smaller man's scent. It would be the last time he would be able to do this. They both knew this would happen someday, and yet the both chose to fall in love, to see if this could work.

"Tell me of our first kiss." Tino whispered, shifting in Berwald's arms so he faced him. Berwald nodded, unable to deny him anything he requested.

~A year ago~

Midsummer's day, the longest day in the year, and a day of festivities for the village, farmers would pour in from the surrounding area, the Jarl might even come to give the festivities his blessing. Berwald wouldn't mind seeing his cousin again, it had been a while since he'd seen the man, he hadn't since finding Tino. "Come on, Berwald." Tino urged, "I want to go, I've never been to a festival before." It wasn't much, Berwald thought to himself, nothing like they would have in some of the bigger Jarldoms or in the capital with the king. It would mostly comprise of talking and drinking, maybe some of the local knights would do some sparring for entertainment. And dancing, there would be lots of dancing. Berwald didn't like dancing, he wasn't good at it. His feet were too big for such delicate steps, his body didn't move fast enough for the rhythm. No he much preferred to watch. Tino would be good at it; already every step he took seemed like some kind of step in a cosmic dance. As if Tino could hear music that no one else could hear.

Berwald nodded allowing Tino to pull him out of the house and down the well-worn dirt path that lead past their small farm and to the village. Sometimes it was just easier to stay silent and allow Tino to just pull him along and live life that way.

Berwald could hear the sound of the drum before they reached the village; the dancing had already begun as had the drinking and merry making. Tino had fallen after mid-summer's day last year and Berwald hadn't wanted him to go the winter solstice festival because of his still habit at the time of stripping everywhere. Tino looked up with wide purple eyes that were filled with excitement; he hoped it would be everything that Tino was hoping for.

Tino went straight for the dancers, weaving his way through the small crowd to join in the circle of people who were clapping as others danced. Berwald lingered behind, stopping to talk to a farmer who had recently stopped in because the scythe he used to harvest wheat had dulled and needed to be sharpened before the harvesting season. "Your ward, a bit strange ain't he?" The farmer asked watching Tino as well. "He looks like a girl more than a man." Berwald shrugged, it was true Tino was more effeminate then most men; he just attributed it to the whole being a star thing, nothing wrong with it.

"Berwald!" he heard a loud voice call from behind him. His only warning before he was wrapped tightly in a hug. His cousin had come to the festivities then.

"M'ttais." Berwald said turning around to face his cousin once he was released from the death squeeze. His cousin had dark blond hair that stuck up in every which way and large blue eyes that were filled with mirth. Mattias was a happy man who enjoyed drinking, women, and laughing. Many of the younger Jarls thought of him as little more than that, but the older Jarls could still remember Mattias prowess on the battle field when he swung the battle axe that he was very fond of. He had been disappointed when Berwald had shown no interest in the weapon under his tutelage, much preferring the traditional sword then the axe.

"It's been forever since I saw you." Mattias said with a hearty laugh. "I hear you found yourself a ward." Berwald nodded, out of the corner of his eye he noticed many of the villagers had begun to give them a wide birth, no one dared to disturb the Jarl while he spoke no matter how friendly he seemed. "Well that's good, making him do all the house chores you hate?" Berwald rolled his eyes at his cousin's words, sometimes he wasn't always sure how they were related.

Berwald and Mattias talked for most of the afternoon, catching up on what each other was doing. Berwald conveniently leaving out his feelings for his ward, there was no way he could explain to Mattias exactly how he felt about Tino. They had become more comfortable in the latter couple of months since the incident with the socks. They were a lovely pair of socks too, the best he'd probably ever had worn. Berwald gave Tino the walking stick and so the gift giving continued. There had been no profession of love between the two of them; there was no need for one when the both knew how each other felt without words. They left gifts where the other could find them, and recently Berwald had taken to holding the smaller man in bed as they slept. There were some things for which there were no words needed. A love like this, Berwald knew, was rare and precious and he treasured the quiet moments he and Tino shared together.

When Mattias was done talking, going on to join some of the drinking contests. The Jarl was notorious for starting fights after having too much to drink. Berwald wondered if he should stay with his cousin to make sure nothing happened. But his cousin was the Jarl, no one would dare lay a finger on him, not in this village at least, and he did want to check on Tino who had not emerged from the circle of dancers since Berewald had started talking to Mattias. He meandered over and stood behind the crowd that had begun clapping in time with the drums that were playing. In the middle of the circle Berwald could see Tino dancing, every move seemed like the swaying of a reed when the wind blows, graceful and elegant. He was smiling as he danced, his light purple eyes searching the crowd till he saw Berwald and then they remained on Berwald the rest of the time.

As it got late Berwald decided they should go back to their home to eat instead of eating at the inn. The stars were out just slightly, Berwald could only really see one, the morning star. "Th' st'rs are g'ing t' be beaut'ful t'night." He commented off handedly as they walked, Tino said nothing for the rest of the walk back home. Nor did he speak as they ate their small meal of bread and goat cheese. He seemed to be deep in thought and Berwald did not want to intrupt such thoughts. He stepped outside again after he was finished with his dinner to look out at the stars again. He still loved to look at them even after his discovery of what stars really were.

"Berwald," Tino said stepping outside with him, he looked up at the sky snaking his hand into Berwald's. A soft smile on his face.

Silver lights twinkled in the warm night. Berwald could just make out some of the pictures the stars created. The pictures his mother had taught him as a boy, his first fascination with the stars. He had been right earlier, the stars did look beautiful tonight, but not as beautiful as the star who stood beside him, hand in his hand. He looked over at Tino and saw the silent tears that were streaming down his face. "T'no, wh'ts wr'ng?" he asked concerned, he took the smaller man into his arms.

"Do you know how a star feels when it cannot return to the sky?" Tino asked. "When it can see its brethren shining up above him and yet he knows he can never return." Berwald could honestly say he'd never thought of it that way. Never thought about how Tino must feel looking up at the stars with him, how he must have missed his home up there.

"'m s'rry." Berwald mumbled, Tino shook his head.

"It's not your fault. I was a foolish young star, I got what I deserved." Tino whispered. Berwald ran a finger down his cheek, looking down on him like he was the most precious thing in the world. "Kiss me, before I disappear, I want to know what it's like to be kissed." Berwald leaned his head down, holding Tino's cheek in his palm as their lips met.

~Present Time~

"Ya're a beaut'ful d'ncer." Berwald complimented, he leaned down to kiss Tino's forehead, his cheeks and finally his lips. Tino offered him a weak smile again as he curled up into Berwald's chest.

"I'm scared." Tino whispered. "I'm scared for what will happen to me when I disappear." Berwald was scared too, there was nothing in any of the legends, in anything the priest said during mass that told him what happened to stars when they disappeared. But he couldn't tell Tino that, Tino needed to see him as strong, as someone he could find support in right now. And that was what Berwald resolved to be for Tino in his final moments.

"D'n't be." Berwald whispered. "Ya'll b'come an ang'l." Angels were supposed to be the most beautiful of creatures, and Berwald was sure that Tino would be the prettiest angel of all. That God would shine his light on him and favor him. That Tino's smile would light up the heavens once again.

Tino smiled at him, but said nothing else just continued to look into Berwald's blue eyes finding some kind of solace there. He became paler and paler right there in Berwald's arms as the night passed on, and Berwald began to feel more and more helpless as the man in his arms grew weaker. There was nothing he could do but watch, the weight in his chest felt heavy as he held back his tears. His sign of weakness he could not let Tino see. This precious man, this star that Berwald had found was dying, he was going out like a flame on a candle, his light would shine on no more. He had been so full of life in the time the Berwald had known him, so curious about the world around him. He had given life back into Berwald; he had brought something into the tall blond's life that he hadn't realized he was missing, companionship and love. No one truly wants to be alone.

It happened in an instant, one moment Tino was lying in his arms pale and shaking as his body became colder and colder looking up into Berwald's eyes, the next moment only empty clothes remained in Berwald's arms. It was as if the boy had never been there. A loud howl erupted suddenly; Berwald recognized it as one of a wounded animal. One that was close to death that was mortally wounded. Every hunter knew that sound, it was when you had to be the most cautious around an animal you were hunting. But where was that sound coming from? From him. Tears that he had held back the whole night suddenly flooded out of his eyes as he curled up around the clothes, the blanket that Tino had been wrapped in trying to breathe in the other man's scent for the last time.

But there was nothing there, nothing for Berwald to hold onto but his memories of the past two years. And even Berwald knew over time even those would fade. He would forget what Tino looked like, his beautiful smile, the way his lavender eyes would light up when he was happy. One day all of those would fade away as well and then, and then he would be left with nothing. He would die with nothing, nothing but a bitter heart and his loneliness. In the end, Berwald realized bitterly, everyone died alone from the Jarl to the lowly farmer; no one could take the journey with you.

**Author's Note (the part of the story where the author comes out and writes a silly note): This is my first in a collection of oneshots that I'm writing. All will be unrelated to each other, unless otherwise stated and they will very over parings and characters. This one focused around Tino and Berwald but I've also got a FrUk one in the works as well. One that isn't quite as sad I think. Anyway the line about how stars feel when they can't return to the sky was taken from Fairy Tail, which is actually where I got the inspiration to write about a fallen star from. Also the last line about everyone dying alone is taken from a line in Eragon that I love. **

**Review please. Also if you have any ideas for one shots send them in. I can't say that I will use every idea but if anything inspires me I'll write one. This won't update regularly, I'm working on a few other projects at the moment and so this one gets updated when I get random ideas for stories that don't fit anywhere else and I write them. So yeah, that's about all I wanted to say. Thanks for reading.**


	2. Hope

Hope

Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia. Warning kinda spoilers for the Amazing Spider-Man 2.

"Maddie!" Alfred shouted as he watched her fall of the roof of the building. She looked like an angel with her arms spread out falling backward and staring back up at him. "Maddie!" He was going to jump down and save her. He could use his ability to turn to different metals to save her, to break her fall. "Madeline!" He shouted jumping after her. No, no, no. She was falling to fast; he wasn't going to reach her in time. He transformed his skin to lead to make him fall faster, the wind rushing past his face as he fell. He reached out to grab her, to stop her from falling to her impending death. She reached up for him, her face contorted with horror as she realized what her fate was about to be.

He grabbed the front of her shirt just before she hit the ground. But it didn't stop him from hearing the sickening snap, the way her body crumpled, the impact lessening from him grabbing her shirt and slowing her down, but not by much. "Maddie, Maddie." The lead skin prevented his own death from the same way. He shed the armor cradling his friend, his best friend, the love of his life in his arms. "Maddie." He said touching her face, she was still warm, she couldn't be dead, any moment now she was going to open those large indigo eyes of her and smile back at him. "Maddie." His voice came out like a child's unable to understand why she wasn't responding to his calls. She looked so peaceful lying there in his arms like a doll, as if she was asleep.

"No, no," Alfred whispered as he watched the blood begin to drip out of her nose. "No, please." He begged as he clutched her body. "Please, please." He had promised to protect her, to keep her safe, and he had failed, he had failed the one person he could trust, the one person who knew him best, knew all his secrets. "Please." The last plea was almost silent as he pushed strands of her dark blond hair out of her face. "Maddie." All around him are the police and an ambulance, they tried to convince him to let her go, to let them take her, but he wouldn't let them. How was he going to live, how was he going to do this without her, he loved her. The ache in his heart was almost too much to bear, how could he keep going on like this?

"Alfred, Alfred." A hand on his shoulder and a familiar voice snapped him out of his inner turmoil. It was Arthur, the Magician; he was standing over them, sadness in his green eyes as he gazed down upon Madeline's broken body. "Let her go Alfred."

"I can't." He whispered, if he let them take her body it would be over, there would be no hope of her return, and he- he almost couldn't bear the thought of that. What was he going to do without her, how was he going to live without her.

"You have to Alfred; you have to let her go." Arthur whispered, and Alfred let go. He watched helpless as they placed her body in a black bag to be taken away, and the next time he would see it would be when they buried her.

"Maddie! Maddie!" He shouted reaching out for her, they couldn't take her away from him, they couldn't he needed her. How could he be a hero if she wasn't there beside him, to cheer him on from the sidelines, to bandage up his wounds when he went too far, to bring him back to his sanity when the stress and pain of being a superhero got to be too much. Who was going to remind him that he was still human, that he still felt pain and anger and that he couldn't take on the weight of the world by himself? "Madeline!" Arthur held him back, stopped him from reaching her.

"Alfred, stop. You have to stop this." Arthur said and Alfred flung himself into Arthur's chest unable to watch as they lifted her body away.

"I couldn't save her, I couldn't save her." The one person who truly mattered and he had failed at saving her.

"It's okay, Alfred." Arthur soothed.

Alfred didn't remember crying himself into oblivion on Arthur's chest at the bottom of the broken building, or the day after when he smashed his bedroom to pieces, or the day after that when he didn't leave the bar too drunk to walk. He wasn't all that aware of his surroundings till he was standing in front of a grave bearing the name _Madeline Williams_ across it along with her date of birth _July 1, 1994_ and her date of death three days prior. Arthur and Francis stood beside him, dressed in black suits, eyes cast downwards and away from Alfred as if afraid to look at him. Had he caused this, had he caused her death?

"I'm so sorry, Maddie." He whispered, "So sorry." He looked up at the blue sky above; he could hear the sounds of laughter from children in a park nearby. The world had moved on already, uncaring that Alfred's own world had come crashing down on top of him and he was afraid he would never find his way out of the rubble again.

"We should go." Arthur said, Alfred shook his head, he didn't want to leave, didn't want her to become another grave no one visited. He thought back to other days as he heard Francis and Arthur walk away from him, allowing him some time to himself.

Alfred F. Jones had always wanted to be a hero, like those he saw on TV every day as a child. He would watch news reel after news reel detail the brave and heroic acts that heroes had done that day to keep the world safe. He never thought he'd get the chance to actually be a hero though, he always thought he'd just be on the sidelines watching, maybe having to be rescued if he was in the wrong place at the wrong time. He might get to meet his favorite superhero that way The Magician; he was a hero who could create things with his mind. Then one day as Alfred walked home from school a car door went flying towards him as one of the villains went on a rampage around the city. His skin changed to metal protecting him from the door that hit him, he had then proceeded to pick up the car door and throw it back at the villain knocking him to the ground from a vehicle that would allow him to fly. And then the metal had disappeared off of his skin and he walked home in a slight daze.

Madeline had been the first person to know his secret and had encouraged him to find out exactly what he could do with his metal skin. She hadn't been scared by this new found revelation and had always supported him from the sidelines as he worked his way up in the super hero world. She took all his faults and his strange work hours and the danger he put himself in and loved him anyway, would stand beside him whenever she could despite not having superpowers herself. She was amazing. And now she was gone. He could no longer save her.

"Alfred," he could hear her voice saying his name. He looked around for the source of the voice, but there was nothing there. She was no longer there.

He went back to Supertower with Arthur and Francis; no one said a word on the ride back. Each seemed to be lost in whatever thoughts they had. Alfred kept repeating over and over again the sequence of her fall in his head wondering if there was anything he could have done to have prevented it. He could see her smile, the kindness she showed everyone. She had wanted to go into psychology, to help people who could not see the good in themselves. She'd had the amazing ability to be able to see the good in everyone and help them see the good in themselves. She had given him hope. Hope for a future. And now he'd lost that hope.

**Author's Note (the part of the story where the author comes out and writes a silly note): I know I said the next one wouldn't be so sad. And I feel like this one was kind of rushed, but I had a lot of feelings after seeing the Amazing Spider-Man 2 and I needed to write them out. I'm sorry this is depressing. I cried while writing it, and that's a new thing for me. Thanks for reading.**


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